Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-31
TIE C~OSTERMONGER.
A ROUGH AND READY CHARACTER
OF THE BRITISH METROPOLIS.

wears q fixed kind Of dress. His hat IL
always a black derby, rusty from rain and
weather. His coat il generally q rusty
black frock. He rarely wears a waistcOat.
His trousers may be corduroy Or any kind
OF the cheaper wooden patterns. His shoes
are thick soled and hobnailed. He always
wears a colored handkerchief tied around
his neck ia place of a collar. These hand
kerchiefs are always dirty, except upon
rare Sunday and holiday occasions, when
new ties are donned. These bandkerchiefs
are always Of "a fanciful color, light blne
and red being the favorites. They are
worn high up on the neck, leaving "A couple
Of inches OF dirty neck showing between
the handkerchief and the greasy collar Of
the stumbling frock coat. The handker-
chief is really the badge OF the order. This
handkerchief about the neck designates
the character and standing OF IA man in
England US completely and thoroughly as
II he wore u uniform prescribed by act Of
parliament. The cOstermongers are men
engaged in street traffic OF all kinds. They
are generally dealers In vegetables. They
begin with push carts, and X they are
prosperous and reach the climax Of their
ambition they become the owners Of small
two wheeled wagons, drawn by little don-
NN W iohiVo ~ StICIettt dhN u
ance Of these small animals are phenome-
nal. l have seen from six to eight grown
people on a costcrmonger's cart being
drawn nj a furious pace by a pony not
much larger than a Newfoundland dog.
The c~osternOuger never gives his pony
any rest. lie works him during the week
in his business and uses the wretched lit
tie animal on Sunday to give his friends q
treat in the shape Of a ride to some cock
ney resort In the suburbs. The coster-
mongers live in the street. They are
never indoors except for eating and sleep
ing. A very severe, driving storm will
sometimes force them into the house. but
they generally take refuge under nm avn
ing or souie gateway. They are a hardy,
tough, coarse fibered people. They are
noisy, and have u perfect passion for
scenes OF uproar and excitement. You
rarely hear OF costermongers numbering
any of their associates or OF their using
knives or pistols In their quarrcis. They
have n way of pounding and kicking
each other when engaged in disputes, but
are rarely arrested, as they never seem to
carry malice, and their fights generally
end up in a good natured way. The
costermongcr and his female are often
the chief actors in u street brawl. When
once a costermonger has begun TO keep
company with a coStermoDger fenlale
then she is considered his property. She
speaks OF him as her maj and she is
spoken OF rs his gal"
1t was Sunday morning. The two had
Started ont evidently for a holiday. He
was in his best. He was a surly, heavy
jawed fellow, with black eyes, q short
nose and brawny, hairy fists. He wore a
little black derby hat about three sizes too
small for his great, round head. His
handkerchief was the lightest OF sky
blues. She was buXom, burly, of medi-
um height. dressed in true costermonger
style. Their dispute grew out of a diff
ference OF opinion as to where they
should spend the day. She insisted on
going one way and he the other. They
disputed for half \ moment, and then he
turned around and deliberately gave her a
kick which lifted her about six inches
from the sidewalk, to convince her that
his way was the best. She turned quickly
and began kicking him in return. The
way she brought her number ten boots
around against his shins very soon con-
WINGED him that she was as strong at that
kind Of argument as he. They kicked at
each other for about FIVE minutes, the
center Of "A delighted and cheering crowd,
and then the c~ostermonger female by her
skill in kicking carried the day. In a no.
ment or two more he gave up, grinned
good naturally and the two walked of
together for a happy Sabbath.
The way domestic brawls are carried on
I'm the streets of London cannot be
matched, ! am certain, in n other city
I'm the world. The common people who
uolk tho Straaya ropor1 thooo n,1orrolo ou
their own private theatricals and sternly
resent any interference of the police. AS
a general thing the police do not touch
the brawlers unless they make too much
Of a disturbance and block up the streets.
The police then simply order them TO
move on, and make arrests only where
the disturbing party resists. During my
stay in London l have seen more street
fights han l had ever seen before In my
life. The actors in these street fights or
domestic brawls appear to take great
pride in the parts which they are called
upon TO play. They are stimulated by the
cheers and roars Of approval from the au-
, dience and do their best to maintain their
reputation for courage, ferocity aud skill
in retort.
Thu women are especially excitable and
active in a street fight. The man gener-
ally looks sulky and sheepish when en-
gagged In a fight with his female In public.
But the women never give them a chance
to back out. They are much more vim
| dictive md active than the men. After
the man has been kicked three or our
times and has had his face scratched up
to a proper state Of rawness, he be-
comes excited and then strikes out
brutally and cruelty, unless a police
man happens to be too near. The women
are generally the victors in these street
fights. The fighting women generally
have babies in their arms. l have seen a
number Of costcrmonger viragos bound
Ing from the ground like hyenas, rushing
up md down with great leaps, bowling
insults and epithets, then sweeping down
toward the hated object Of their wrath
for q blow or q kick, and when the man
strikes out the baby never seems to be re-
garded IA anything more than a buffer.
The costcrmonger female uses her baby
as a shield. The poor, wretched baby is
generally q philosopher and rarely, IL ever,
bowls or cries. / ave never heard a
cestermonger baby even peep during the
most exciting phases Of a street fight,
although the mother may be bowling like
q panther In her rage and excitement.
II is this class Of people that makes
even TIE best parts Of London disagreed
bic. When their work Is done they crowd
the streets and fill the publics, drinking,
swearing and quarreling. They wander
In great idle swarms up aud down the